Red Wings

Zetterberg Undergoes Back Surgery, Could Miss Eight Weeks

DETROIT, MI – MAY 06: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings goes for the puck in overtime and takes the stick of Matt Beleskey #39 of the Anaheim Ducks with him in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena on May 6, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit won the game 3-2 in overtime to tie the series 2-2. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

CBS DETROIT – In pursuit of their 23rd consecutive playoff berth, the Detroit Red Wings might not get any help from Swedish star Henrik Zetterberg the rest of the way.

Back problems had limited Zetterberg throughout the season, forcing him to miss much of December, but he had returned and competed for the team in January and early February, helping the Wings to five wins in the last seven games heading into the Olympic break. After one game with Sweden, though, Zetterberg withdrew from the Olympics.

Zetterberg returned to the United States and had surgery for a herniated disk, the Red Wings announced Friday, and the 10-year NHL veteran could miss as many as eight weeks, according to NHL.com.

However, the team still hopes Zetterberg could return this season, reporting that the surgery went smoothly.

“It went very, very well,” Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said, per NHL.com. “They removed part of a disk that was rubbing on a nerve. It was what they thought it was. The recovery process looks very, very positive.”